A passage plan is a decision system: route, hazards, timing, limits, alternatives and monitoring. It must keep working after the boat leaves the berth.
Build the plan in layers
Define the departure, destination and purpose. Review official charts and notices, forecast and warnings, tide and current information, daylight, fuel or battery range, vessel limits and crew capacity.
Mark hazards, clearing bearings, minimum depths and decision points. Identify at least one viable alternative that remains useful if wind, visibility, equipment or crew condition changes.
Brief what matters
Explain the intended route, expected duration, weather, watch arrangements and when the crew should call the skipper. Show everyone the lifejackets, safety equipment, radio and emergency actions.
Tell a shore contact where you are going and when to raise concern. Use the reporting or log-on service appropriate to the area where available.
Monitor, compare, revise
Regularly compare actual position, speed, weather, sea state, fuel and crew condition with the assumptions in the plan. A small early divergence may be the best time to shorten or abandon the trip.
Record material decisions and updated arrival estimates. Navigation equipment supports lookout and judgement; it does not replace them.
Working checklist
- Use current charts, notices, forecasts and warnings
- Calculate tide and daylight windows
- Mark hazards, limits and abort points
- Brief crew and shore contact
- Monitor actual conditions against the plan
Questions skippers ask
Is a route on a chartplotter a passage plan?
No. It is one component. A usable plan also addresses weather, tide, hazards, vessel and crew limits, alternatives and monitoring.
How often should I update the plan?
Whenever a meaningful assumption changes, and at planned decision points throughout the passage.
Primary sources to check
Open these sources again when planning; linked requirements and conditions may have changed since this guide was reviewed.
BOM marine forecasts↗AMSA safety and navigation↗